Back pain is a common and significant mallady afflicting large numbers of people and virtually every country of the world. The wide spread nature of the problem has been highlighted in numerous articles printed in both medical and news periodicals. Illustrative are articles entitled Bare-bones Facts About Your Aching Back from the December, 1980 issue of Readers Digest and the cover story from the July 14, 1980 issue of Time magazine.
Axial traction can be effected to alleviate certain types of back ailments. Such traction has been found to be an effective means of reducing improperly aligned or displaced vertebral elements as well as their associated invertebral discs and soft tissues. Certain circumstances have, however, long present obstacles to the effective application of controlled traction to the lumbar area. These circumstances include the significant amount of force which must be applied and the lack of a location at which the axially directed force can be applied.
In 1971, the applicant provided for the construction of an apparatus to support a patient, having one of a number of conditions such as a protruded lumbar disc, in a vertical position wherein the torso of the patient was suspended by a chest harness encircling the rib cage. As a result of the research, the applicant concluded that the rib cage could serve as an optimum site of fixation. He determined that, in order for the harness to function most effectively, it must, at its lower end, be tightened beneath the rib cage so that, as axial force is applied to the harness, the rib cage will not slide therethrough.
After continued research in this area, the applicant invented an improved gravity traction vest. Prior to this time, the tightening of a lower most belt of the gravity vest was accomplished exclusively by providing a belt having a sufficient number of locking points whereby the belt could be tightened so that it was within the perimeter of the rib cage regardless of the size of the patient being treated. Applicant invented the new improved gravity traction vest that provided means whereby axial fixation could be efficiently accomplished, yet wherein the treatment is not rendered uncomfortable. Applicant filed a patent application Ser. No. 299,679 on Sept. 8, 1981 for the improved gravity traction vest. This application was allowed on Aug. 17, 1983 and has been granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,452.
Applicant herein incorporates by reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,452.
While the improved second generation gravity traction vest provided improvement over the original gravity traction vest, there remained a number of problems associated with its use. These problems included the need to tighten a number of cinctures to secure the vest to the patient, the rough surfaces of the cinctures being felt through the vest by the patient. While there was an improved locking of the vest to the patient due to the cushion insert, it was desirable to provide for still more positive locking.
It is these problems in the prior art that the third generation gravity traction vest of the present application is directed. It provides for a torso surrounding member being constructed of the rigid material, a simple and effective means for securing the vest to the patient and a flanged under portion that protrudes inwardly toward the patient for engagement below both the lowest rib and the inverted u-shaped area of the rib cage.